Usually, when we hear about key industries in WA, the focus is on either the resources sector — mining and oil and gas — or construction. And while it’s true that they are the main economic drivers of our economy, it won’t always be that way. No, this isn’t an opinion piece on how fossil fuels are bad, unsustainable, or anything like that; we’ll save that for another day.
It is, however, a story about the future of Perth and WA and the little guys who are working hard to invent that future.
Some of Australia’s, and the world’s, most innovative and successful companies started right here in little ol’ Perth and we don’t celebrate that enough. Companies like Canva — a product that, chances are, you’ve used at some point to design anything from a party invite to a uni assignment. Yep, that’s right, Canva was started in Perth by a couple of UWA grads — Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht — who dared to dream big. And dream big they did; Canva is now used by more than 135 million people every month and is valued at $39b.
Canva is just one of the many successful innovative tech companies that started in Perth.
It’s time to celebrate the dreamers
We all have those friends who have these crazy ideas about the business they want to start or the product they want to build that solves a problem they have. And most of the time, yes those ideas are crazy, but that’s how innovation works. Crazy ideas get tested and then moulded, then tested again until they eventually change the world. Canva started that way — not as the Canva we know today but as an online yearbook maker — as did everyday brands like Microsoft and Apple.
When we support and encourage these ideas, crazy becomes crazy good, and crazy good helps us build the jobs of the future. No, this isn’t a political party write-up, either.
A Night of Innovation
On Tuesday, September 12th, we have an opportunity to support some of those dreamers.
Three companies and not-for-profits (StartupWA, Modern People, and Evolv3) have joined forces — Power Ranger-style — to celebrate a night of innovation, giving ten startups the chance to pitch their ideas and early-stage businesses to an audience under the blue whale at the WA Museum.
How it works
If you’ve ever seen the TV shows Shark Tank or Dragon’s Den, then you’ll have an idea of what to expect. These startups each have four minutes to pitch their startup to the judges and audience. While there’ll be investors in the room, and there’s a chance the pitchers gain the attention of one of these investors, that’s not the main focus of the night.
The focus is to celebrate those who are putting their hearts and souls into making their dreams happen and showing them some of that Perth support.
Join the audience
Maybe you have an interest in startups and innovation, know one of the startups pitching, or just want to join the audience, see what it’s all about and have a good night out at the WA Museum.
Whatever your interest, you’re invited to go along and join the audience.
Where: WA Museum Boola Bardip
Date: Tuesday, September 12th
Time: 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Tickets: $30.00 each and are available here.
